1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a viewfinder, and a control method and an imaging apparatus thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some commercial imaging apparatuses, which are employed at broadcasting stations and so forth, include a camera body for shooting a subject to generate picture signals, and a viewfinder, which is attached to a camera body, for displaying a picture based on picture signals. With this type of imaging apparatus, a cameraman shoots while carrying the camera body on the shoulder and looking into the viewfinder.
As the viewfinder of such an imaging apparatus, a viewfinder has been provided wherein are detachably provided a display unit which includes a display panel, and displays a picture on the display surface of the display panel, and an eyepiece unit, which is detachably attached to the display unit, for reflecting a picture displayed on the display surface at a mirror to refract the optical path 90 degrees, and also enlarging the picture thereof (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-147232).
With this viewfinder, the cameraman can remove the eyepiece unit from the display unit depending on the shooting situation, whereby the cameraman can shoot while visually recognizing the picture displayed on the display surface directly. Further, there is provided a detecting switch for detecting whether or not the eyepiece is attached to the display unit, and in the event of detecting the eyepiece unit being attached, a picture to be displayed on the display surface is horizontally inverted, whereby the cameraman can visually recognize the picture of which the relation between the left and right positions is correct even in the case of looking into the eyepiece unit.